About this listing

Just one block from Gramercy Park (the only private park in Manhattan) is this unique, antique-furnished, and romantic 325 square foot dream sublet. Centrally located, a few short blocks from most subways, it as quiet as a country oasis.

In the building where George Axelrod wrote "The 7 Year Itch" starring Marilyn Monroe, in the hip (Uma Thurman, Julia Roberts) and historic (Teddy Roosevelt, Edith Wharton) neighborhood of Gramercy Park, a few short blocks from Union Square (Barnes & Noble, the Strand, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Farmer’s Market), Madison Park (Shake Shack, 11 Madison Park), most subway lines, some of the finest restaurants in New York (Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, Casa Mono, Pure Food & Wine), and, of course, Gramercy Park itself (the only private park in Manhattan), is a unique, antique-furnished, and romantic 325 square foot third-floor studio that acts like a one bedroom, with restored kitchen and bathroom, hard wood floors, tall ceilings, closets, AC, a 39-inch HD cable TV (with Roku capability), free wireless, a huge collection of literary classics, towels, linens, china, hairdryer, a full range of cooking and eating utensils, coffee-maker, toaster, filtered water, a Swedish Duxiana king-sized bed with 500 thread count goose down comforter, and the kicker, a 250 square foot terrace -- with wrought-iron furniture -- overlooking a traditional Manhattan courtyard. It doesn't get better than this anywhere in the city. The dream sublet for the right person(s). Your Airbnb rate covers all rent, taxes, fees, utilities, garbage, TV, local telephone, high-speed modem, color printer, Xerox, scanner, plus an insider's guide to the neighborhood written by renowned travel writer, yours truly. A comparable place on Irving Place is $500/night without the amenities offered here.

If you or someone you know is clean, quiet, and responsible, and looking for a dream sublet in the heart of Manhattan -- but which is as quiet as a country oasis -- please send name, phone number and two references. The flat books fast and far in advance.

Guest Access

Guests have access to everything in the flat, including outside terrace, all kitchen supplies, all furniture, everything.

Interaction with Guests

Guests are left completely alone. This is not a shared situation. You have the flat entirely to yourself.

The Neighborhood

Detailed guide to the historic, gorgeous, and one-of-a-kind Gramercy Park neighborhood will be sent upon confirmation of reservation.

Getting Around

Flat is within a few short blocks of all major subways. There are paid parking garages all around Gramercy Park and Union Square. Instructions on how to get to flat from airport sent upon confirmation of reservation.

Other Things to Note

Below is an abbreviated version of the detailed protocol I send to all guests (private, personal details and other flat signifiers are left out, for security reasons, until you become a fully paid guest). Please study these notes fully to make sure you are okay with current issues with the flat. A more completely protocol document is sent to paid, booked guests closer to their arrival in order to account for latest updates on the flat.

Thank you.

Buongiorno! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Hello!
Welcome to __________, your home away from home in the heart of New York City. You will love it here. Since this is a public document, for security reasons, critical details about entering and leaving the flat, as well as address, are deleted. A complete document, with all relevant entrance info, is sent to all paid guests before their arrival. All questions are answered in that longer document.

APARTMENT LOCATION
Delivered shortly before arrival and upon booking

KEY PICKUP
Explained before arrival.

CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT
Check-in to the apartment is AFTER 3PM on day of arrival and checkout is BEFORE NOON on day of departure.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Provided before arrival.

SMOKING
Please don't smoke in the apartment, in the hallways, or on the terrace. You are welcome to smoke outside the building.

PETS
No pets in the apartment at any time, either. Not even from those visiting you during your stay. Some guests are allergic to animals.

DEPARTURE/CLEANING PROTOCOL
Please clean all dishes, throw out all trash, and put used towels, sheets, pillow cases in a pillow case (which can be put on top of white drawers in closet) before departure. Please leave comforter neatly on bed. This should all take less than ten minutes and ensures that the flat is in decent shape for next guest (very important when my cleaning team is delayed due to weather or personal issues).

ADVANCE WARNING ABOUT MINOR APARTMENT DEFECTS
While you will enjoy many new apartment amenities (including a new toaster, new coffemaker, new hairdryer, new iron, new rugs, new shower curtains, new blankets, new pillows, new cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathroom, new faucet, and especially the new reclining chair!), I am fully aware that there have been some intermittent problems with water pressure in the shower (this seems to be fixed, but it could return). This issue tends to resolve itself. Also, should you have problems with water pressure or getting hot water, if you let the water run for just one minute before jumping in, you usually have no problem. More important, don’t run the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink at the same time when you are taking the shower. This seems to be the main culprit. However, if you are not getting hot water in the shower after several minutes, turn it off. Then run the faucet in the bathroom. This sometimes does the trick.

It’s an older building, so this kind of intermittent problem is to be expected. If you are not getting water pressure after 20 minutes or so, do let me know. It may be something to do with the pipes or the sieve, even though the situation usually resolves itself by the next time you take a shower.

There’s also a minor problem with the oven/stove. The metal edge on one side of the lid has come off, leaving an opening that lets some heat out. If you feel the stove/oven is hotter than normal to the touch, it’s because of this. We are in the processs of finding a matching lid or replacing the over/stove altogether. You have nothing to worry about. There’s nothing wrong with the unit. Moreover, if it’s cold outside, the stove/oven acts like an additional heater.

We’ve also had to jerry-rig a solution to the handle on the small fridge. The handle recently broke. The fridge is operable. But we will be getting a new fridge in short order once the current one goes kaput.

Finally, if the dial tone does not work on the portable phone, it’s because the charger or the telephone cord to the portable phone got unplugged somehow. So, you will have to plug the charger back into the portable phone base on my desk or make sure the black phone is fully plugged in. It may take a few hours to get charged. But all should be fine.

SHOES
In order to keep the elegant rugs super clean, it is advisable that you please take off your shoes before entering the apartment.

EXTRA GUESTS
If you have a guest, extra blankets will either be in the main closet or in the wooden cabinet behind the bed. Please keep the number of people staying in the apartment to two at any one time (including yourself), and make sure they are aware of all information in the final protocol document sent before your arrival. No one can stay in the apartment unless you are also present. There is a brand new futon underneath the king-sized bed for one extra guest besides you.

Detailed and easy apartment protocol will be emailed to you once reservation is made, including a complete and professional guide to the beautiful Gramercy Park area. For now, you should know that there is no smoking in the apartment and no pets allowed. Also, I need two emergency contacts (name, phone number, email for each person staying) in case something happens to you while you are in my flat. And I need full contact information for the person making the reservation. Simply fill in the profile details here on (website hidden).

We were made to feel very welcome via a very comprehensive email,sent by Jack prior to our arrival. On first glance it did seem a little excessive in its length but it certainly made our arrival and departure and our entire stay go very smoothly so we were very grateful for the attention to detail.

Lovely stay in Manhattan! The apartment was beautiful, exactly as pictured, had all the amenities we needed, was in a wonderful and safe location, and made us feel more at home on our vacation. The host, Jack, was really easy to work with, upfront and honest about any little quirks that the apartment had, and had a lovely home! He even gave recommendations for food and drink in the area which was fun for us to peruse rather than Yelp or Zagat. We didn't have any issues and so didn't have a reason to contact him during our stay but he gave us plenty of ways to do so in the event that we needed anything. It was a wonderful experience and I will check availability of the apartment next time I'm in the city!

It was a great experience to live like a New Yorker for a few days! Jack's apartment is in a fantastically vibrant area, with good food and coffee just downstairs. It is close to subways, making travel very easy, and also close to the large Wholefoods supermarket at Union Square. This made healthy eating easy!
The apartment itself is as appealing and idiosycratic as the photos suggest. The balcony was a joy, the bed comfortable and the bathroom spotless. We really enjoyed our stay and would heartily recommend others to do the same.

What a wonderful experience my sister and I had in this perfectly located apartment. Everything is described perfectly on Airbnb and Jack makes sure you know exactly what to expect with some other very useful information in and around the apartment. It was so easy to collect keys etc. Jack was easy to communicate with through the Airbnb tool but he lets you know other ways but we were all good. The apartment is very clean and tidy with such wonderful history. Highly recommend this apartment especially with the location. So close to everything. My sister and I walked everywhere. A place we will always remember.

My wife and I stayed at JC's home for 6 days and it was amazing. It's perfectly located, 3 minutes to subway station and in a very friendly neighborhood. We enjoyed a lot our holidays in the City (for the first time), and the apartment help us making our stay as if we were at home, giving us the possibility to travel through Manhattan thanks to its location. The house is perfect for a couple, with a kitchen plenty of amenities and a terrace which is perfect for the breakfast, for the dinner or whatever. We were at June and it was a little heat but with the Air Conditioner there were no problem. The only "but" if any, is that the apartment is a second floor with no elevator.